Machine for carroting furs.



g 4 A Jam/Z fizahzi fi N0. 65|,l59. Patented June 5, 1900.

A. BLOCH & w. R EUTER. MACHINE FUR CARROT'ING FURS.

ik ucmon filed Fab. 8. 1900.1

(No Model.) I 3 Sheefs sheet I.

WITNESSES: mvemons Patented June 5, I900.

A. BLOCH & w. REUTEB MACHINE FOR CARBOTING FUBS.

(Application filed Feb. 8, 1900.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

INVENTORS jgVlTNESSES M ATTORN EY No. 65!,l59. Patented June 5, I900.

A. BLDCH & W. REUTER.

MACHINE FOB GARROTING FUBS. (Application filed. Feb. 8, 1900.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

WITNESSES: INVENTORS 94 A M Jw fiZ z mjmzzr v I. & I

AD OLPll BLOC/II AND \VILLIAM SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 651,159, dated June 5,

REUTER, or NEW YORK, N. a".

I MACHINE FORCARROT-ING Fuss.

lnnlication filed February 8,1900. -b6rial No. 4,459. No model.)

To a whom it may concern.-

lle itknown that we, ADOLPH BLOCH, residingi'n NewYork, borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York, and \VILLIAM REU- TER, residing in New York, borough of Brooklyn, in thecounty of Kings, State of New York, both subjects of the German Em peror, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Carroting Furs;

and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, suchas will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

Our-i yention-relates t the treatmentand preparaion oflfurs used in the manufacture of the f remit of which hats are made to increase thfielting properties of the fur.

I Previous to removing the fur from the skin. it is prepared .for felting by rubbing into it a solution of nit'rateof mercury. This is termed ca rroting the fur, and thesolution used is know! as the carrotingiliquid .or acid. In order that the fui may be properly prepared, the solution must be rubbedin th0roughly, sothat every filament will receive the proper quantity. l leretofore the only practical antbetlicient method of rubbing inthe solution has-been byhand-brnshes but the operation is slow, tedious, and uneven, and the lihuid-beingn mercurial acid is injurious to the hands of the workmen, and the position they are compelled to occupy directly over t'he-skinithey are operating upon ex poses them to the fumes, which are deleterious to health.

chanical rubbing for hand-rubbing, and a number of machineshavebeen produced with that end in view; but they have not proved successful in practice.

To this eml our invention consists in a machine for earroting fur, in which are combined a rotary rubbing-brush, -a rotary t'eed orsupply bi ush,t he former rotating ata much higher speed th'an'the latter, the rotary sup ply-brush taking up the acid and transferring it to the rubbiug-ln'ush evenly and in sullicientquantities, but without spraying the acid'and throwing it about. to the injury ol' t he attendants aml machinery and wasting of the material; and it further consists in a prcssur -regulator for pressing the tortoward the rubbing-brush that automatically adjusts the pressure to thelength of the fur, so that the bristles will penetrate the fur the entire length of the filaments, and a pressureregnlator, constructed with openings to allow the sprayed acid free exit from under the regulator, and thus prevent any quantity of acid from getting on the pelts.

It further consists in a trough constructed and arranged so that the contents are clearly visible from the front of the machine and which is provided with an extension that forms a guard at the back of the machine that intercepts the acid sprayed by the rubbingbrnsh and returns it to the trough.

It further consists in a fixed brush placed In the accompanying drawings,higure 1 represents a front elevation of our improved earotting-maehine; Fig. a side elevation of the same; Fig. 2, a perspectiveview of the pressureu-cgulator detached from the ma-' chine; Fig. 3, a transverse vertical section,

much enlarged taken on line X X of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, h Fare the side membersof the frame ottho machine, each being cast in a single piece preferably and having shaft-bearings ll ll at the top, in

which is hung a driving-shaft S, that carries" between the frames, fast and loose pulleys l l and at one end a grooved pulley (z andtat the other end two belt-pulleys 1t 1t, and in the'side frames next to the grooved pulleys Q a stud 'l is fixed, on which is mounted a grooved pulley Q. lower is transmitted to the machine by a belt runuingover pulley 1 which may be shifted to the pulley 1 by the belt-shifter V. ()n the insideoi' the frames F hsemicircnlar ribs W W are cast to forin supports for the acid-l ough 7.,hcreinatter more particularly described. flhe side frames are connected together by means 01' the trans verse rods ff. The side frames are provi dedwith horizontal brackets l. I, having longitudinal grooves 2 therein, 'on which are supported the slides 3 3, that form a carriage that carries the rubbing-brush 4 and devices that cooperate with it and which will be more fully described presently. These sliding plates have splines 5 on their under sides.

that fit intothe grooves 2, and thus guide them and prevent lateral displacement. toothed racks on the slides, near the front ends thereof, which are engaged by toothed wheels 7 7 on a lateral shaft 8 at the front of the machine, having a hand-wheel 9 at on'e' end thereof. By means of the hand-whee1 shaft the carriage can be moved back and forth for a purpose that will be described hereinafter.

n the slides 3 3, at a point somewhat nearer the rear than the front ends thereof, are pillow-blocks 1010, having bearings therein in which the transverse shaft 11 is carried. On the shaft between the side frames is mounted the rotary rubbing-brnsh 4. -A pulley 12 is mounted on the right-hand end of the shaft 11 in line with the pulley R the two pulleys being connected together by a belt, the gearing being such that the speed of the rubbing rollcr will be about two hundred and fifty revolutions per minute.

On the slides 3 of the carriage is a sliding frame A, having horizontal side members 13 13, that are connected with the slides by means of splines and grooves, so that they will slide freely back and forth, and inclined u right members 14 14:, that serve as housings for the feed-rolls 15 16. The front ends of the side members 13 1-3 are connected with the hand-screws 17 17, held in the uprights 18 18, forming parts of the slides 3 By means of these hand-screws the frame is moved back and forth. 1

- The feed-rolls 15 16 are made of rubber or other suitable material not affected by the carroting fluid. The shaft of the lower feed roll.16 is held i'n fixed hearings in the up caused to rotate together.

-.space between the said rolls rights 14 14; but the shaft of thenpper feedroll is held in sliding boxes, which are controlled by spiral springs 19 and adjusting screws 20,,whereby the upper fced-rol may adjust itself to the thickness of the skin passing through the rolls and sufficient pressure he maintained to feed the skin to the machine. '-The feed-rolls are geared together, and on the ends of the shaft of the lower roll 15 .is a belt pulley 21 in li.ue with pulley R, and 'a belt 22, running over the said pulleys, communicates motion to the lower feed-roll, and by means of the gearing the two rolls are by means of the hand-screws 17 17 the feed-rolls can be moved to and from the rubbing-brush 1 to make the and rubbingbrush adjustable. i

Connected with the top of the uprights of the frame is an automatic pressure-regulator 23 for pressing the shins toward the rubbingbrush, so that the bristles of the brush will penetrate the f or however long the filaments maybe. This pressure-regulator is of a pe-' culiar shape and construction, its general outlines being seen in the endview of it shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings and'the perspective 'view, Fig. 2*, where also theconstruction is more particularly shown. As seen in the end view, Fig. 3, the top and rear sides of the regulator are straight surfaces at a more or less obtuse angle to one another. The under side 24e'formsa curve of about the same radius as the. rubbing-brush, so that when the skin is underthe pressure-regulator the brush in revolving will rub against the fur at every point, and thus the bristles of the brush will penetrate to a uniform dept-h in the fur. The lower end of the regulator is a' segment of a circle corresponding in radius to the upper feed-roller, on'whicht-he said end rests. In construction the regulator consists of a series of fingers f f f, the, more orless, according to the space which it may be found necessary to have between them for the purpose which it is desired to accomplish, and these fingers spring from a bar 25 and form, preferably, but not necessarily, an integral part thereof. The regulator is hung between standards or uprights 14 14 and supported in that position by the projections 26 26, forming part of-a rectangular plate 2 L", connected with the bar 25, and the end fingers or plates f of .the regulator, which rest on top of the standards and are held in that position by the-.bolts 28 28, provided with thumb-nuts passed down through the elongated slots 29 29 in said projections. A vibrating motion is allowed by the slots to the regulator, so that its concave bearing-surface 24 can be moved toward or awayfrom the periphery of the rubbing-brush .to regulate the space be: tween through which the skin passes. This capability of adjustment is for .the purpose of regulating the pressure according to the length of the furon the skins passingthrongh ICC . the machine, and thus causing the bristles of the brush to penetrate the fur, whatever its along the filaments their entire length, which they will not do if the bearing-surface is set at one fixed distance from the brush.

The an tomalic adjustment of the regulator is brought about by the relation which the regulator has to the upper movable feed-roll 15, on which its lower end rests. By this re lation when a skin passes between the feedrolls the upper roll is moved away from the bottom roll more or less, depending upon the length of the for on the skin, and by this motiorr the regulator is tilted or turned downward, so that the surface 24 will be brought nearer to. the brush, and thus when the skin passes between the regulator and the brush it will be pressed downward against the brush (and the bristles thereby enabled to reach into the fur. \Vhen, however, the fur is shorter, the feed-rolls will not be separated so famand consequently the regulator will not be moved so near the brush. Thus the separation of on a wooden shaftlt);

the upper feed-roll from the lower roll to accommodate the feeding of skins with different lengths and thicknesses of fur automatically ad usts therelation of the piessnre-regulator to the brush, and the exact force of the pressure necessary to cause the brush to penetrate sure-regulator of a series of lingers or like a comb means are afforded for the escape of the acid sprayed upward from under the regulator instead of being s ueezed downward and backward upon the pelts, and thus injuring them. \Vhen the maehineis running, it for any reasonthe feeding of the skins is stopped or delayed fora greater or less length of time the rubbing-brush becomes charged with the acid, and when a'skin is finally fed to the brush if the regulators were solid the surplus acid would be thrown oil? the brush and too great a quantity wonld'be deposited upon the following pelt; but the openings between the fingers aiford an escape for any acid-spray that may be thrown upward and backward by the brush when the feeding of the skins is delayed or interrupted or when the spraying is caused bythe thickness or length of the fur. Any acid-spray thus driven out between the fingers of the regulator will be caught by a guard and returned to the trough, as will be described presently.

Below the t'ccdrolls is an adjustable guard 30, supported at its ends in an inclined-positior on lugs 31 in the slides of the carriage, and fitted with ad} u-sting-serews 32, by which the position of its edge 33 with relation to the rubbingabrush may be regulated, so that it may be retained nearlyin eontactwith the brush. The purpose of this guard is to intercept any spray occasioned by the contact of the two revolving brushes from beingthrown backward or upward against the lower fced- I roller.

liehind the rubbing-brush is an adjustable stationary brush 3i, the lug of which is connected with a slide 35, that rests upon a plate 36, connected with the slides 301' the carriage, thathas an upward extension 37. Set-screws 238 at each end passed through the upward extension and engaging the upward extension of the slide serve to more the brush to and from the rubbing-brush. of the stationary brushis to wipe oil the acid from the rubbing-brush in case otdelay in feeding the skins, and also to take off any filaments of fur that may adhere to the brush.

llelow and forward, more or less. than the rubbing-brush is a feeding-brush 39, made of bristles about four inches long stuck into a wooden lag or drum and which ismount'ed This shalt extends beyond the-sides ol'thc acid-trough (hereinafter described) and its ends are supportedin wooden bearings -l l-in hangers -l2,,conneetcd with the projections 1,-connectod with the sides of the l'rame. ()n the left-hand end of The purpose the work.

the said shaft is a grooved pulley 'p, in line with the grooved pulley Q on the stud T. A belt runs over these two pulleys and another belt runs from the larger grooved pulley Q. on the said stud to the grooved pulley Q on the shaft. run at a-spoed of? about seven revolutionsper minute; but it is'intended in practice to provide the machine with gearing to adapt the feeding-brush to be driven at various speeds in order that a greater or less quantity of acid may be fed tothe ,rubbi-ng-brush according to the requirements of the fur.

liy making the shaft of the feed-brush and its bearings of wood these parts which are directly over the acid-trough and are nost exposed to the acid are made impervious to the acid, whereas if they were made of nrctal they would soon be destroyed. Under the feed-brush is the acid-trough Z, which is an almost semicircular vessel made of earthenware or other material not affected by the acid. It is made in one piece preffrably and its sides are low enough to permit the ends of the feed-brush shaft to extend over and beyond them to its bearings 41. The

The feeding-brush is intended to lower than its rear edge 43 and below the level of the. shaft of tlto'feed-brush. The front of the trough is thus open, and the interior being in full view it can be seen at all times if the proper quantity of acid is in the The rear side of the troughextends trough. up to a point above the plane of. the axis of still further extended by means of a concave earthenware guard 44, that catehesthe acid sprayed or thrown back by the rubbing-brush and returns it to the trough. The guard is preferably made separate-from the tank and it. is jointed thereto at .r. By this construction and arrangement the spray thrown back by the rubbing-brush is intercepted and the machinery and workmen are protected and loss of material avoided.

Thefeeding-brush, n, will be observed, is

The rubbingbrush, it is preferred, shall be made of root libers about one inch long, while the feeding-brush should be made of bristlesa-bout four inches long.

The fceding-ln'ush is geared to run at a the rubbing-brush, and from this point it is much slower speed than the rnbbing-ln'ush,-

as shown. While the relative speeds may be varied according to rircumstmiees, it is suggested that the speed of theJfeeding-brush may be seven revolutions per minute and that of the rubbing-hrushmay be two hundred and fifty revolutions per minute.

The parts of the machine are arranged as -follows: The rubbing-brush is adjusted so that it will be in contact with the feedinghrush, more or less, and the feed-rolls moved into position to properly feed the skins to at the rear wipes it off.

the rubbing-brush, while the guard 30 is moved toward the rubbing-brush nntilit's edge is in cont-act with the rubbing-brush,

, and the auxiliary brush at the rear is adjustwith acid fed to it'by the revolving feedbrush, when the skin is drawn under the r.egulater the brush rubs the acid into the fur thoroughly.

If for any reason there should be delay or stoppage'in feeding the skins while the machine continues running, the brush would retain' too much acid; but the stationary brush By providing the openings between the fingers which will permit the acid to be thrown upward behind the regulator, it is intercepted by the guard 44, which deflects it downward and back into the trough.

By means of the hand-wheel 9 the carriage can be moved to carrythe rubbing-brush toward or away ,from the feed -brush for properly adjusting it or to take up wear. So,

also, the feed-rolls can be adjusted by means of the hand-screw 17 to get them in the exact position to properly feed the skin to the brush.

We claim-- 1. In a machine for carroting fur the com bination of a feed-brush, a'rubbing-brush, means fordriving the latter ata higher speed than the former, an automatically-adjustable l concave pressure-regulator located above the rnbbingbrush to press the slim uniformly against the surface of the rubbing-brush, and

feed-rolls for feeding the skin between the ruhbing-brush and the pressure-regulator,

substantially as specified.

2. In a machine for carrotin g f or the combination of a feed-brush, a rubbing-brush,

means for driving the latter at a higher speed than the former, an autoinatically-adjnstable pressure-regulatorlocated above the ru bbingbrush to press the skins uniformly against I the surface of the rubbing-brush, and feedrolls tor-feeding the skins betweenthe ruh-.

hing-brush and the pressure-regulator, substantially as specified.

3. In a machine for carroting fur the combination of an acid-feeding brush, a rubbingbrush and means for adjusting the rubbingbrush relatively to the feeding-brush to take up wear and regulate the distance the bristles of the feeding-brush penetrate. between the i fibers of the rubbing-brush, substantially as specified. j j

4. In a machine for carroting fur the combination with the rubbing-brush and the feedrolls, of a pressure-regulator and. means tor automatically adjusting the position of the said regulator with relation to the rubbingbrush to regulate the pressure to correspond to the length of the fur on the skin fed to the machine, substantially as specified.

5. In a earroting-machine the combination with the rubbing-brush and the feed-rolls of a pressure-regulator adapted to vibrate to and from the rubbing-brush, and having its lower end resting on the upper movable feed'roll to adapt it to be moved toward the rubbingbrush when the feed-roll is lifted to admit the skins, substantially as specified.

6. In a machine for earroting fur, the combination with the rubbing-brush and the feeding-brush of an adjustable guard at the front to intercept the acid sprayed by the contact of the brushes, substantially as specified.

7. In a machine for carroting fur the combination with the ll1bbll1g-l)Il1Sl1, the feedingbrush and a pressure-regulator having its bearing-surface formed of a series of fingers, of a trough for the acid made of a material impervious to the acid open at front and extended upward at the rear to form a guard to intercept and return to the trough the acid sprayed or thrown backward by the rubbingbrush, substantially as specified.

8. In a machine for carroting fo r, the combination with the rubbing-brush and feedingbrush of an adjustable brush to remove the surplus acid from therubbing-brush, substair tia l ly as specified.

9. In a machine for carroting fur the combination with the feeding-brush of a rubbingbrush mounted on a carriage and means for sliding the carriage to and fro to adjust the rubbing-btushrelatively to the feeding-brush, substantially as specified.

i 10. In a machine foncanrotingfur the combination with a rubbing-brush of a regulator and feed-rolls and an adjustable frame earrying said regulatorand feed-rolls, substantially as specified.

In testimony that. we clainrthe invention above set forth we aflixj our signatures in presence of .two witnesses. I j

' ADOLPH BLOCII.

NVILLIAM REU'FER.

l Witnesses:

FERDINAND Ro'rn, THEODOR RIEDMANN. 

